You forgot to mention that I am laughing through my tears.

Robert, My emotions go between enraged to hopeful to numb.

I am watching my country, the country that I love, in grave danger of losing everything that she stands for and everything that we, who love freedom, find precious.

Half of the population is willingly stupidizing themselves ... willingly drinking the poison.

God help us.

By the way, I just got a job at a local Senior Apartment complex and last Friday night I had a very tender moment with a couple of the residents.

We had had a Halloween Party in the lobby during the afternoon.

It was now 7:00 p.m. and everything was peaceful and quiet.

The phones weren't ringing and one of my favorite residents, Judith Fabry, a 95 year old Jewish woman, was walking around the lobby.

Seyal, an Iranian lady, was sitting in a chair next to her daughter.

The lobby is very beautiful and has a dome-like skylight. The acoustics are amazing.

I walked up to Judith and putting my arm around her, said, "Good Shabbos, Judith."

She was surprised, as I am a gentile.

I asked her if she would like to hear a song.

She said, "Yes."

I sang "Oseh shalom bi-mo'romav, hu ya'aseh shalom alienu v'al kol Yisrael, v'imru: Amen."

Translation: He who brings peace to His universe will bring peace to us and to all the people Israel. And let us say: Amen.

Judith was smiling and started to move her arms around as if she wanted to start dancing the hora.

Seyal said, "Oh, that is so beautiful! Can you sing it again?" I did.

Then I asked Judith if she would like me to sing "Shema Yisrael."

She nodded in approval.

I sang: "Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad" and then she translated it: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord."

Judith looked at me and said, "You are going to get me thinking about these things again."

It was just one of those beautiful moments that are such a treasure - unplanned and spontaneous - but so refreshing in this time of uncertainty and distress.

Once again, everyone loves a Democrat. No matter what. ACORN didn't matter either.

I worry for my country and my children. I'm cutting back on all non-essential spending in anticipation of massive tax hikes (notice how "middle class" keeps getting redefined, downward). It's going to be a grim four years. G-d help us because we apparently don't know how to help ourselves.

Robert,

One of the biggest fallacies perpetrated by the media is that of the "Jewish vote." It has become exceedingly apparent (to this Jew, anyway) that as much as American Jews wish to be lumped together as a separate ethnic group, it just isn't accurate.

The proof is in that term "the Jewish vote." Like most liberals (if not all), religion takes a backseat to liberalism. Non-observant Jews may think of themselves as different from everyone else, but they are not. In lacking Jewish observance, they really lack true closeness to G-d. The void that is left is filled by liberalism, which in all reality IS a religion (just without a real diety).

Therefore, liberal Jews are really just liberals first, and Jews second.

Orthodox Jews consider themselves "Jewish conservatives". Their political beliefs are secondary to their Judaism. The true "Jewish vote" is the vote by those Jews who are Jews first, everything else second.

It always struck me that all ethnic groups use the term "-Americans" (African-Americans, Arab-Americans), yet the when we talk about the Jews, it's always "American Jews". Ironically, more and more liberal Jews are beginning to refer to themselves as "Jewish-Americans." This hasn't gone unnoticed.

check out this pic. The Obamas are acquainted with the Farakhans as well.

http://neveryetmelted.com/wp-images/MichelleFarrakhan.jpg

Obama's apparent rise to power in the US will have devastating repercussions here in Israel.
I wonder how long it will take for the arab enemy to make an aggressive move toward Israel once Obama is elected.
The only consoling factor right now in Israel is the fall of Kadima and Bibi's probable ascension in the next election. Also Benny Begin's return to politics(Likud) has boosted my moral.

Obama's apparent rise to power in the US will have devastating repercussions here in Israel.
I wonder how long it will take for the arab enemy to make an aggressive move toward Israel once Obama is elected.

The only consoling factor right now in Israel is the fall of Kadima and Bibi's probable ascension in the next election. Also Benny Begin's return to politics(Likud) has boosted my morale.

I had an interesting experience in my Elections class today, as I watched several of my (ostensibly Orthodox) classmates chuckle along with my (liberal) professor at the idea that Obama might be bad for Israel. It was spectacularly depressing.

Though I did notice that the Democratic contingent in my class was quite a bit brusquer and more blatantly liberal than usual, which I've sensed they tend to be when they are nervous. (They generally are not as rude when they feel smug.)

" ... Does any of this matter? No.
Which is why Karen and I laugh. ... "

well,
if you want to laugh ...

here is a great site:
http://www.thenoseonyourface.com/obamessiah/obama-to-combat-joe-the-plumber-with-average-americans-of-his-own/

as the site says,

"News So Fake, You'll Swear It Came From The Mainstream Media"

Karen:

And gee, you're like so beautiful even when you're crying. You look like Susan Hayward in "The Lusty Men" (1952) when she's wearing that great black dress and she realizes that she's really in love with Robert Mitchum and not with that lunk Arthur Kennedy.

Beth:

No matter what happens in the elections we are deeply comforted by your mitzvot. May HaShem bless and keep you.

Dr. Carol:

If BO wins all taxes will rise like a gigantic grain elevator and the US will be plunged into a depression. It will be the Carter years only much, much worse.

The only people who will thrive will be the terrorists and the UN, who are the same.

Shayne:

Beautifully said. Yes, when Jews reject Torah, they move towards a fanatical belief in radical leftist politics. It's sad and self-destructive.

YU91:

Well, of course Obama pals around with the Jew hating Farrakhan. What do you expect? There is a clear pattern in his fetid pool of associates and friendships.

But it doesn't matter.

Obama is black, sorta, so there's a lower standard for his inexcusable behavior, which is, by the way, completely racist.

Gregg:

That's the reason 85% of American Jews in Israel voted for McCain. They know that Obama is naive, an appeaser, a threat to Israel.

Michal:

Most college student, raving liberals, observant or not, are political morons.

Just stick by your guns.

My mom calls him "teflon." Nothing sticks.

Don't forget, that when we all start getting upset about the massive tax hikes, the confiscation of wealth by the "redistributive" Supreme Court, the suppression of dissent and the whole catastrophe, Obama's "Civilian Security Force", i.e. a standing army of goons, will be there to keep us in check.

Obama's willingness to give us a police state, following his abolishing our 2nd Amendment rights wherein lawful citizens can own arms for their own protection, is absolutely THE most frightening thing of all. It's amazing that all the supposed liberal civil libertarians just ignored this version of the "standing army" we wanted to get RID of in 1776.

This "as powerful as the Army" group could be a force for complete tyranny. This is how this Marxist-Leninist could take over total power of this country. Will the members of this "civilian" force be the same gangsters that surround Farrakhan?

Oh yeah, and I haven't even bothered with touching on Obama's desire to gut the Constitution.

Most sadly, 1/2 of the local Young Israel here seems to be voting for Obama. Maybe a higher percentage than that. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND.

Let us hope that your tears, Karen, turn to ones of joy, if JoshuaPundit is correct.

One looks through history and sees inevitably, Jews wanting desperately to fit in - to be lowercase Jews - hyphenated Jews, Babylonian-, Spaniard-, Russian-, German-, whatever-Jews; until something bad happens and whatever world we find ourselves in, we are made once again to see ourselves for what we are. For how the world sees us. As Jews. Unhyphenated, uppercase, solitary, set aside Jews who through our embarrassment over the greatness of our heritage and the meekness of our desire to assimilate, we bring catastrophe on ourselves. Bad things are happening - have happened. Eventually, a reason will be found and there will be need to blame. I'm sorry for rambling but I wanted to say this - Obama has cast aside everyone with whom he as ever been associated. Especially for a Jew to believe that in a a challenging situation, he would ever stand with Israel is beyond comprehension. The economy pretty much everywhere is in pretty bad shape. Government, of whatever flavor, has a pretty poor track record of solving economic problems. If efforts by an Obama administration to correct the economic problems go south, who are likely to be blamed? Wouldn't be the Jews, would it? Not them who control all the money anyway? Do I sound frightened? I am. For the same reason that Republicans doing socialism made socialism easier for Democrats to do, when Jews started kicking other Jews out of their homes in the "Jewish homeland" that act will ultimately make it easier for non-Jews to do it everywhere else. And if there ever arises a need for an excuse to do it by the leader of the 'free world', I believe in my heart that Obama will not hesitate for an instant to lead the way. And that gift of oratory may become frighteningly familiar. (apologies - wanted to get it out)

Robert, thank you for your beautiful blessing. I look forward to more moments with my new friend, Judith.

Jews are still convinced that Republicans are a bunch of Southern anti-semites and new england old money anti semites. It's not only an incorrect belief, it's a dangerous one.

It is the Southern Christians who are our best allies against Islamic terrorism, period. And the "old money" new england types are mostly democrats now. You can look it up.

But my question is: How long will Obama continue to get a free pass? Yesterday, his grandmother died and NOT ONE of the media reports about her death bothered to mention that this was the same woman that Obama called a racist when he made his "racism in America speech" to get out of the Jeremiah Wright problem. NOT ONE! That is shameful. And the selling out of an elderly sick woman, (a woman who sacrificed financially and certainly must have faced racial hatred from her peers when her daughter married an African man), by her own grandson is the most despicable thing even a grizzled veteran of politics like me HAS EVER SEEN in politics. All the sex scandals, the Watergate break-in, etc. etc. pale in comparison to a family man like me when put up against a man who should be worshipping the ground his grandmother walked on calling her a racist because she was afraid of an aggressive black panhandler! Hey, I think we're all afraid of aggressive panhandlers... even white ones!

And even if it WERE true that his grandmother was a little skittish around blacks... that makes it okay that Obama is a member of a church that makes Louis Farrakhan its man of the year?!? And Obama is a deeply close personal friend of a pastor who openly damns America and Israel?

Really? It's okay?

If so, I'm searching my family records for some ancestors I can call racist so I can get out of every terrible mistake I make from now on.

Oh wait... I'm not. Because I have common decency.

When he made that speech, that was the back- breaker for me. Funny, for the rest of the country and the news media, that speech probably won him the nomination and I guess the election. Am I the only one who realized what a terrible thing he had done that day? I mean other than Ann Coulter?

I think you may have missed the point Jake

Firstly as you well know he never called his grandmother a rascist. What he did was admit that his grandmother had an old fashioned stereo typical view of black people. Most people admired this because they could relate to it. Many people, including myself have family members like this but don't know how to articulate it.

Rascism is not un-natural. We are humans. Unfortunately we are conditioned to be suspicious of the other group. So having rascist thoughts does not make you bad. But it is right to confront these thoughts and to overcome them. That is what Obama was saying when he revealed that sombody he loved had racist feelings. It was not throwing her under the bus. It was aditting that we are all flawed and that we should work on our flaws to better ourselves. If you don't see this fine, but really, worse than water gate.

Ted:

You've got to be kidding me. Being an accused racist in America has become just about the worst thing you can be. Child rapists have protesters demonstrating for them these days, (anti-Meghan's Law activists), but these people would condemn someone like Obama's grandmother in a heartbeat.

Ask Larry Summers who's implied bias against women cost him his job at Harvard.

Implying someone is a racist, or acts in a racist way in America today is a major, major attack on that person with serious represcussions. You must know that.

And I'm sorry if he never used the word "racist," but Obama called her grandmother a racist. The nuances you're bringing in don't cut it. In America you don't say someone is afraid of black people who "could be my own brothers" without calling them a racist. I mean come on. It was a horrible thing to do that shows you the measure of this man.

And how do we know the story is even true? She never was asked to comment on it by the slavish media! And now she never will. And even if it is true, it was private incident, one that should remain private. Instead it's a stain willfully inflicted on a relative to whom Obama owed quite a lot. And for what? To "defend" his close, close relationship with Jeremiah Wright? It doesn't even accomplish that anyway, (except for people naive enough to think that having racist white relatives or friends cancels out having racist black relatives or friends). I mean that doesn't even make sense!

"I admit I have a racist black close friend. But you know folks, my grandmother was a white racist. So it all balances out!"

Say what?

You can't sugarcoat that in my book. Politicians do terrible things all the time, I realize that. But show me ONE example of another politician who smeared the name of his own family member to get ahead. Even Bill Clinton, who could have played up stories about his abusive biological father, kept that mostly quiet out of respect for his mother and her privacy. It was the news media that dragged that stuff up for the most part, not his campaign.

Watergate was a petty political dirty trick and Nixon lied about it for 2 years. Terrible, true. But he didn't go and blame Pat Nixon for it! Geez, Obama will probably say something terrible about his own kids in the coming months too.

The fact that all the media reports about that racist accusation are not being included in the stories about her death today are really frightening and indicative of what we can expect in the coming years. Even Clinton lost his free pass when his personal foibles came to the forefront. Will Obama get a pass if he cheats on his wife because blacks are reportedly, (and I don't believe those reports but they are out there), less faithful to their wives than whites?

Jake I think we are going to see this one differently.

I will concede however that since Im not an American I may be unaware of how "being an accused racist in America has become just about the worst thing you can be".

But I just saw this episode another way. I heard Obama trying to say, I know some people are suspicious/frightened (whatever) of black people. My own grandmother was and look at me now. We can get over this. I did not see it, and it appears that most of America did not see it as a way of saying that hanging out with racists is ok because my grandmother was rascist. And if it eases your fears slightly I did hear it mentioned on Britains Sky News last night that his recently deceased grand mother was the same woman that Obama claimed earlier in the campaign held racially stereotypical views of African Americans.

Ted:

Obama's exact language was: “...she reacted like a typical white racist.”

Not subtle, nor loaded with subtext. Just good old fashioned race hustling.

This kind of rhetoric, in America, is pure demogogery.

Ted:

Yes, I am relieved that SKY News pointed that out. SKY, of course, is considered a bit more conservative over there, no? But I'll take it.

To be fair, I think I too know what Obama was TRYING to convey. But he could have done that without mentioning his grandmother. He could have said "people in my own family," and left it at that. The Chafetz Chaim's writings are filled with ideas about how to say things like that without falling into the trap known literally as the "evil tongue", but practically is a combination of gossip, slander, etc.

But in practice, I think Obama and his handlers told him he HAD to put an actual name and face on his comments. So they chose his ailing grandmother who could not defend herself. I do this kind of "producing" every day in my job and personalizing these stories is vital. I am lucky I never have to sell anyone out, especially in my own family.

They simply chose to slander this poor woman to make it more "human." But to me, it made Obama positively inhuman.